The saddle mount of this invention allows the towed vehicle to be maintained at a low profile and yet is fully capable of accommodating the necessary range of relative movement between the towed vehicle and the towing vehicle.
Specifically, and as described in the specification to follow, the saddle mount has a pair of laterally spaced supports which are adapted to be mounted on the frame of the towing vehicle. A shaft extends between and is supported for rotation above these supports. A platform secured on the shaft mounts a saddle for rotation about an axis extending at right angles to the axis of the shaft. The saddle has attachment means adapted to be releasably secured to the front axle of a truck to be towed. The supports may be inverted so that the shaft is beneath the supports, permitting a lower ride.
More specifically, the platform and saddle have flat plates which overlie one another. The means for mounting the saddle for rotation comprises a pivot member which extends through the shaft and also through the platform and saddle plates.
The attachment means on the saddle comprises a pair of clamps on opposite sides of the axis of rotation of the saddle. Each clamp preferably comprises a fixed jaw and a movable jaw. The movable jaw is opposed to the fixed jaw and can be moved to an operative position relative to the fixed jaw in which the two jaws clamp the front axle of a truck to be towed.
It is an object of this invention to provide a low ride saddle mount having the above features which is relatively inexpensive to manufacture and yet highly successful in the accomplishment of its intended function; also one which is an improvement over saddle mounts which have been made in the past, including those disclosed in the following U.S. patents:
______________________________________ 1,334,113 Norton 1,845,611 Loveridge 2,152,279 Randall, et al 2,411,411 Blair, et al 2,416,921 Hingley 2,436,485 Roxy 2,436,499 Williams 2,451,119 Regan 2,541,209 Cox 2,647,760 Mettetal, Jr. ______________________________________